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Morgan Fairchild Tels Soaps.com All About Fashion House

Friday, September 15 2006

Morgan Fairchild

Morgan Fairchild talks about her new show, her co-stars and the myth that she appeared on General Hospital!

Shannon:
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule and agreeing to give me an interview for Soaps.com! I realize that you are very busy, so your generosity is greatly appreciated!

You should know that all of us here at Soaps.com are extremely excited about your new show Fashion House.

What can you tell us about the show?

Morgan:
It's a fun cocktail of beautiful people doing not so beautiful things.

Shannon:
If you had to describe your character (Sophia Blakely) to viewers, how would you do that?

Morgan:
She's got an agenda that becomes more understandable as the story goes on. I found her to be focused, ruthless and vulnerable in the way her private pain has formed and distorted her life and perspectives.

Shannon:
You have many fans of your work. You have daytime drama credits on such sows as (Search for Tomorrow, The City and General Hospital), and numerous primetime credits on shows that include (Dallas, Falcon Crest, Hotel and Flamingo Road). What is it about Fashion House that is going to set it apart from the previous primetime dramas?

Morgan:
First, let me just say that I was never on General Hospital. I have no idea why that's on IMDB. Actually, the primetime series I did that was the closest to Fashion House was Paper Dolls, which also happens to be my favorite of all my primetime series (until this one of course!). It was also about the fashion business and a lot of fun. Fashion House is an update for the 21st century of all the evil doings and beautiful people (and clothes) that made the 80's primetime soaps so much fun! I think the audience will love our mixture of handsome young guys (frequently shirtless) and beautiful young girls (with shirts on, but not much else!) and all the mixing and matching that goes with young love and evil business practices!

Shannon:
The format of this show is a little different than the previous primetime dramas that you have worked on. This format has been a huge success in other countries, how do you think America is going to react to it?

Morgan:
Frankly, I've been surprised that no one has picked up on the Telenovela format for English-speaking audiences before. Anytime something succeeds so wildly in other countries (not just Spanish-language countries, either!), it's only a matter of time before someone in America decides to adapt it for here. I think the American audiences will love these once they get used to watching every night! There are so many twists and turns. You have to watch every episode just to keep up with who your favorites are with this week!

Shannon:
Since Fashion House is an every evening show (M-F), is the filming schedule similar to when you were on daytime television?

Morgan:
Somewhat, but much more intense. We shot 65 episodes in about 15 weeks. That's almost 3 years of regular one hour series programming, so it was a very ambitious schedule. It was even harder than a daytime schedule and I'm very proud of our cast and crews and directors, that we turned out what I think is a very good primetime quality show. I can't wait to see how my fans like it!

Shannon:
Which of your new cast mates have you had the most fun working with?

Morgan:
I worked mostly with 3 people: Bo Derek, Joel Berti and Mini Anden. I think I was very fortunate to get to work with such dedicated, hard-working and above all, nice performers.

I had known Bo a little from around town, but we had never worked together. She is a consummate professional and a lot of fun to work with! We had a great time doing our catfights and slapping scenes. A nice lady.

Joel Berti is a terrific young man and we had a lot of fun with our twisted relationship. He brings a nice edge to his character, and I think the audience will really like discovering what his character is all about.

Mini Anden is already a very successful model, and I found her a delight to work with. She worked very hard and never came in with an attitude that just because she was already successful in one medium, that she shouldn't have to buckle down in the acting field. I think she will come off very strong in the show and that audiences will find her a bad girl they'll love to hate- exactly my old stomping grounds!

And again, all very nice people, which matters a lot when you're working these kinds of hours on this kind of schedule. No Prima Donnas allowed!

Fairchild & Derek FH promo

Shannon:
I have to ask, how strong is the hatred between your character (Sophia Blakely) and the character (Maria Gianni) portrayed by Bo Derek?

Morgan:
Well, on the show the hatred is strong. But in person I can't say enough nice things about her! She worked her tail off on this show and I admire that a lot. We had great fun with our scenes, even the ones where we don't slug each other! When she wasn't too busy, she would come down to my trailer and we would just sit and gab. Oh only if those walls had ears!

Shannon:Fashion House has a sister show sort of Desire, that is in the same format. Have you had much interaction with the cast of that show?

Morgan:
Not really. They were just finishing when we started shooting, and we would sort of wave in the parking lot! I did a bit of promotional stuff with a few of them and they seem like a very nice bunch!

Shannon:
I am sure that I speak for many people when I say "Thank You" for being such an advocate in the fight against AIDS. What is the one thing that all of your fans reading this interview can do to help win this fight?

Morgan:
Just keep talking about it and practicing safe sex. There is starting to be a resurgence of new infections because older people get lazy and younger people (who didn't watch all their friends die) think it is treatable or just won't touch them. New drugs like Crystal Meth make people throw caution to the wind, and that is never good. Also, we're seeing more and more infections in women and children in communities of color. We have to keep talking about it and removing the stigma, so that people will get tested and practice safe sex. This is one disease where denial and hypocrisy kill.

Shannon:
Is there anything else that you would like to say to all of your fans out there?

Morgan:
I'd just like to thank them all for their dedication over the many years I've been in this business, and let them know how much I appreciate them. When you're an actor, you may not always get the parts you want, but you try to do the best with each one you get.

Bette Davis once told me that she was a fan and then listed all these projects I'd done that she had actually seen. I was shocked! When she hit one particular movie, I said "Thank you so much Miss Davis, but I know that one wasn't really very good". To which she replied, "But I saw what you were trying to do with it". What a kind and supportive thing for one artist to say to another.

I feel like my fans are sort of like that! They give me credit that I'm out there for them, doing the best I can to reach out and touch them in some small way!

In a funny way, as one friend said long ago, "Acting is reaching out in love to your fellow man". So, I'll just keep trying to find ways to reach out to my fans and hope they're reaching back!

Shannon:
I don't think you will ever have to worry about your fans not reaching back for you. I am certain that I speak for all of them when I say that it is so great to see you back on the primetime screen!

Again, Soaps.com (and myself) thank you for taking the time to answer these questions for the site and for the fans. We wish you continued happiness and success!